Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.

— Martin Luther

We wanted to mark the 250th anniversary of circus in 2018 in our own unique Giffords Circus way, so after chewing the end of our pencils, we thought what better way to mark our 2018 tour than planting trees along our route.

Our tour includes some of the most beautiful village greens, parks and estates in the country and we have already planted an oak tree at Stratton Meadows, Cirencester and a ‘Blenheim orange’ apple tree at Frampton Estate in Frampton-on-Severn. We will soon be visiting Blenheim Palace and Stonor Park to plant black poplars, and Marlborough Common and Sudeley Castle to plant oak trees.

We chose native, rare and threatened trees sourced from a local supplier. The grounds we visit have the most beautiful veteran trees, often hundreds of years old, and we hope that our trees will grow to be as old as these and future generations will enjoy them.